Bond-connector for rails



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

JL BRYAN, BOND GONNEGTOR FOR RAILS. No. 566,709. Patented Aug. 25,1896;

FIEB.

WITNESSES:

INVENTOR ATTORNEY.

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2 t B e h S B t 6 e h s 2 N A Y R B J a d o M o vN BOND CONNECTOR FORRAILS Patented Aug. 25, 1896.

FIBJI.

I/VVENTOI? ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES ATENT @rrice,

JAMES BRYAN, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO \VILLIAM MORRISGREENIVOOD, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

BOND-CONNECTOR FOR RAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 566,709, dated August25, 1896.

Application filed May 21, 1896. Serial No. 592,379. (No model.)

To all whom it away concern.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES BRYAN, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented or discovered certain new and usefulImprovements in Bond-Connectors for Rails, of which improvements thefollowing is a specification.

The invention described herein relates to certain improvements in thatclass of devices employed for electrically connectin g the adjacent endof railroad-rails generally known as bond-connectors, and has foritsobject such a construction of connector as will perunit of a goodelectrical contact being formed and maintained between the rails and theseveral. parts of the connector, and the latter shall have acurrent-carrying capacity approximately equal to that of the rail.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a bond-connectorwhich can be employed for attaching a continuous wire to the railindependent of the bond-wires at points intermediate of the rail ends orat the points at which the bond-wires are attached.

In general terms the invention consists in the construction andcombination substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a plan showing the adjacent ends of two rails having myimproved bond-connector applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a sectional view, theplane of section beingindicated by theline III III, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is aside elevation, the connector applied to the web of the rail. Fig. 4Cillustrates the washer in side and edge views. Fig. 5 illustrates one ofthe clamping-plates by similar views. Fig. 6 shows end and sideelevations of the bolt. Figs. 7 and 8 are sectional views ofmodifications of my improvement. Fig. 9 shows side and edge views of oneof the clamping-plates used in the construction shown in Fig. 8; andFigs. 10, 11, and 12 are plan views of rails, showing differentarrangements of bonds and continuous wires.

In the practice of my invention holes, preferably elliptical or angularin outline, are formed through the webs of adjacent rails 1 1, saidholes being by preference located near the ends of the fish-plate forthe reception of bolts corresponding in cross-section to the contour ofthe holes in the rails. Before inserting the bolts 2 in the holes in thewebs, clamping-plates 3 3 and washer 4 are slipped onto the bolts, whichare then inserted in the holes. On the projecting ends of the bolts areplaced another washer at and clampingplate 3 and 3 in the order named.The clamping-plates 3 are formed of any suitable conducting material,preferably bronze or brass, and are provided on one face with one ormore grooves 5, which form seats for the reception of the bond-wires 6.

The washers 8 may be formed of iron, steel, bronze, or brass, or othersuitable rigid material, and are preferably provided with grooves ononeface to form seats for the bondwires. The washer -l is preferablyformed of soft copper or other suitable good conducting metal which willflow under pressure, so that the washer will form a close contact withthe web of the rail and the plain face of the clampin g-plate 3,therebyforming a joint which will exclude air and moisture. In order tofacilitate the formation of the close contact of the washer withadjacent surfaces, the washer is preferably corrugated con centricall y,as when the corrugations are flattened the hearing portions rub againstthe walls with which they are in coifiact, and in that way form a moreperfect electric joint.

Before the parts are assembled and applied to the rail, as stated, thesurfaces of the web of the rail around the holes therethrough arecleaned, removing all dirt and oxid, and the surfaces of the washer, theinner surfaces of the clamping-plates 3, and the walls of the seats 5for the bond-wires are also carefully cleaned. The bond-wires G, whichare preferably formed of copper, are then placed in the seats 5 of theclamping-plates, the surfaces of the wire being carefully cleaned andthe nuts 7 screwed up tight, thereby forcing the clamping-plates tightlyagainst thebondwires, and so compressing the washers as to cause theirsurfaces to conform closely with the surfaces of the web of the rail andthe innor faces of the clamping-plates 3.

The washers, inner clamping-plates, and the bond-wires are made of sucha size as to have a current-carrying capacity approximately equal tothat of the rails, the difference in'conductivity between the metal ofthe rails and the material of which the connecting device is formedbeing taken into consideration.

W'here heavy currents are employed, it is preferred to adopt theconstruction shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, wherein four wires form thebonds, or three of the wires may be used as rail-to-rail connectors, andthe fourth groove in the clamping-plates may be employed for connectingthe continuous wire to the rails.

Where the current is comparatively light, the construction shown in Fig.7 may be employed, both wires serving as rail-to-rail connectors, or onewire as such connector and the continuous wire placed in the othergroove.

In Figs. 8 and 9 is shown a construction for connecting rails by asingle bond-wire or for the connection of the continuous wire to therails independently of the rail-to-rail connection.

Fig. 10 illustrates a number of rails connected rail to rail by myimproved device, and in Fig. 11 is shown the manner of connectin g therails to each other and to the continuous wire,the latter beingconnected to the rail near its ends and also at an intermediate point.In Fig. 12 the continuous wire is connected to the rail on one side ofthe track at the same points as the rail-to-rail connections and to anintermediate point on the opposite rail.

\Vhere two wires are found suflicient to carry the current only one setof clampingplates and a single washer 4 are employed, as shown in Fig.'7, and when a single wire is sufficient the construction shown in Fig.7 may be used, a short section or dummy wire being placed in one of thegrooves in the clamping-plates; but it is preferred in such cases to usethe construction shown in Figs. 8 and 9, wherein the clampingplates areformed with a single seat 0.1 groove, and one of the plates is providedwith a rib or projection S, which will bear upon the opposite plate,holding the two plates approximately parallel.

In lieu of employing an independent softmetal wash er as a connectionbetween the rail and the holder for the bond-wire, the plate or holdermay be formed with a soft or malleable metal face or maybe formedentirely of soft or malleable metal. In such construction it ispreferred to form the inner face of the plate or holder with concentricribs or ridges 9, which will flatten out and form a tight joint with therail.

It is characteristic of my improvement that the bond or continuous wireis connected by a good electrical joint with a holder, which in turn iselectrically connected to the rail by a body of soft or malleable metaladapted to form, in addition to its electrical function, a tighthermetic joint between the holder and plate, thoroughly excluding airand moisture.

I claim herein as my invention- 1. In a bond-connector for rails, thecombination of a plate or holder, provided with a seat for a bond-wire,soft or easily-malleable metal interposed between the plate and rail,and a bolt for attaching the plate to the rail and pressing the metalagainst the rail, substantially as set forth.

2. In a bond-connector for rails, the com bination of plates adapted toclamp the bondconnector between them, soft or easily-mat leable metalarranged between one of the plates and the rail, and a bolt for securingthe plates to the rail and compressing the bondwire and the malleablemetal, substantially as set forth.

3. A bond-connector for rails, having in, combination two annularclamping-plates,one of said plates being provided with one or moretransverse seats for the reception of bondwire, a malleable-metal washeradapted to be interposed between one of the clamping-plates and therail, and a bolt for attaching the clamping-plates and washer to therail and forcing the clamping-plates against the interposed bond-wire,substantially as set forth.

4. A bondfconnector for rails, having in combination twoannularclampingplates, one of said plates being provided with one ormore transverse seats for the reception of bondwires, a corrugatedmalleable-metal washer adapted to be interposed between one of theclamping-plates and the rail, and a bolt for attaching theclamping-plates to the rail and forcing them against an interposedbond-wire, substantially as set forth.

5. In a bond-connector for rails, the combination of plate provided witha seat for a bOnClWi1e, a malleable-metal washer adapted to beinterposed between the rail and the plate, and a bolt for attaching theplate to the rail and compressing the washer between the rail and plate,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JAMES BRYAN.

IVitnesses:

DARWIN S. WoLooT'r, F. E. GAITHER.

